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and the Beth She"an monastery pavements they
evidently represent the core of the calendar: day
and night.
Comparable though different are the sun and
moon portrayed on two Greek pagan mosaic
pavements: the youthful busts of Selene and
Helios with no attributes feature in the inner
circle of the 4th-century dining room mosaic
of the Roman villa at Odos Triakosion, Sparta
(fig. III-15) (Catling 1983-84: 27; Touchais 1984:
763, fig. 48; Gundel 1992: no. 85). The bust of
Helios, crowned with rays, a globe held in his left
hand and his right raised in blessing, is rendered
in the central circle of the mosaic pavement in
the main hall of the Tallaras Baths on Astypalaea
(pl. III.12b) (Jacoby 2001).
Both these Greek mosaic schemes, consisting
of a square with two circles rendering Sun and
Moon in the inner circle and the zodiac signs in
the outer, are similar to the Jewish zodiacs.
The mosaic images prove that traditionally a
connection is noticed of the sun god as charioteer,
or the images of Sun and Moon, with the
seasons, the signs of the zodiac or the Labours of
the Months; they represent Time and personify
the year, thereby illustrating a yearly calendar.
These designs serve as a reminder of the cycle of
the seasonal and agricultural year.
In almost all examples the seasons appear as
female busts, sometimes winged. They are frequently
part of the calendar illustration. However,
some seasons appear in separate panel and medallion
compositions, which might have carried a
specific meaning or perhaps merely provided
a decorative design. Merrony (1998: 480-482)
argues that the various personifications of Ge,
the Four Seasons and the Labours of the Months
continue from the Roman period and bear allegorical
implications.
In several examples the winds are also associated
with the yearly cycle. On the mosaics of the
qabr Hiram church aisles busts of the winds are
rendered with the seasons and the months; on the
zodiac mosaic at the Tallaras Baths on Astypalaea
busts of the winds appear in the corners of
the composition.
The six personifications at the central column
(B) of the south aisle at the Petra church are the
Four Seasons, Ocean, and Wisdom, all in square
panels; according to Waliszewski they are part of
the cosmic meaning of the whole mosaic.
A unique representation of Wisdom appears on
Mosaic II in the south aisle of the Petra church
chapter eight
(pl. XII.2a) (Waliszewski 2001: 253-4, 320). The
partly destroyed figure in column B11 is apparently
a bust of a woman with a nimbus surrounding
the destroyed head; she holds a book in her
right hand. A Greek inscription identifies the
figure as Wisdom.
*
Personifications of natural forces such as the
Earth, Sea, and Ocean, rivers and of country
and city, are rare on Byzantine mosaic pavements.
The yearly cycle personifying the seasons,
months, zodiac signs, and the sun and moon is
more popular.
Some of the personifications serve as a focal
element of the design, for example, Earth appears
in the central square medallion on the pavement
of St. Paul’s church at Umm el Rasas, surrounded
by Four Rivers of Paradise in round medallions.
The Sea in the Apostles church at Madaba is
the focal point of the pavement. The sun god as
charioteer surrounded by half moon and stars
on synagogue pavements, and Sun and Moon on
secular and church mosaics, are the focal point
of the calendar design.
The iconography of the natural elements on
Byzantine mosaic designs is applied to the various
personifications systematically and methodically.
It shows a clear distinction between of male and
female representations. Several personifications
are only female, others only male. Females are
usually fully dressed and adorned with jewellery
whereas males appear with upper body naked.
Female images personify several natural elements:
Earth is constantly a women’s figure.
Female busts typify the four seasons in the zodiac
design on synagogue pavements, as well as those
in calendars on secular and Christian mosaics.
Sea too is personified by a female, and Virgo, is
the only female sign in the zodiac design.
The months are usually represented by males,
with some exceptions: December in the mosaics
of El-Hammam and the Monastery of Lady Mary
at Beth She"an is the only female personification.
February and May are represented as females in
the Carthage (I) calendar mosaic. The personifications
March and May in the Antioch calendar
are possibly female figures. Three female busts
of the months are portrayed on mosaic at Tallaras
Baths Astypalaea. The other nine months
are rendered as males.